December 11, 1954 – The First Supercarrier: The USS Forrestal

It does bring back memories. I served aboard the Forrestal from '70 - '72. She's presently tied up in Newport R.I., next to her sister ship, the Saratoga, CV60. Even in "moth balls" they quite imposing.

WingNut

This does indeed bring back memories. I served my first two years in the Navy (83-85) on another super carrier, the USS America (CV-66). Slightly different layout than the Forrestal, but still pretty much the same sort of ship. Flat out she could do at least 38 knots with 6000 men and a hundred aircraft aboard. What a boat!

I thought the America was Enterprise class? That would have made it nuclear. But your 38 knot top speed suggests a Forrestal class...

In fact, America was considered to be Kitty Hawk class. Main differences from the Forrestal class were that the island structure was set a bit further back on the flight deck with two elevators in front and one behind, and the single port side elevator was aft, rather than at the front of the landing area.

American was the next carrier laid down after the Enterprise and was originally conceived as a nuclear boat. In fact, in the bilges there were structural members which where were marked "U.S.S. America (CVAN-66)". However, cost issues forced the design to be revised shortly after the keel was laid, and she was completed as a conventionally fueled vessel.

As for her ultimate top speed, I never did see her do more than 38kts and no one would ever quote a number higher than that. Though the BTs did tell me once that, if they put the diesel generators on line and cranked everything they had into the mains, she could do a good bit better than that. She sure did rattle at 38 though.

Her final resting place is 250 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, sitting upright on the bottom at 2800 fathoms. She will be remembered so long as one of her sailors lives. May she rest in peace.

I am a strong believer is progress through fun, and spent some time scrapping a couple of ships that were sunk for reefs.

There are a few Aircraft Carriers that have been mothballed, but could be reactivated.

Boy oh God it would be fun to buy one and sail around doing good works, and flying Cessnas off the decks!

Neat idea, but a very expensive one.

People still go on cruises on Cruise ships.

If you bought an aircraft carrier and turned it into a Cruise Carrier, well, you would have the best island floating aye?.

A nuke powered one could just go around wherever it wanted, and sell water.

Nice exclusive meeting place too.

Really it is interesting that we've got people trying to get tourists to buy tickets to go into outerspace and nobody yet has made a civilian cruise aircraft carrier.

What's up with that?

Unexploited potential fun I tell you!

My friend, if you can get the backing to pull it off, I will gladly come and join your crew.

Lets work on the plan.

People are going crazy all around us.

My wife is yelling at me about money.

She actually complains that I don't watch TV.

I'm only 56, but my ex-wife is retired and makes a fool of me, since her husband became an attorney.

Only backing I might get is from friends here on CR4.

Going to Mars seems unrealistic.

I did do movie and ship scrap work in Wilmington NC to sort of get along.

What is the 7?

My studies show 7 as the magic number of people focused on doing one thing to make it happen.

It could be powered by all the unemployed or bankers and politicians like a giant pedallo.

As you can see there is a banker or is that politician in the boat and still isn't doing any work. Looks like he trying to come up with another scheme while others work.

Good luck with that idea.

Cheery picture Del.

I forget the name of the US aircraft carrier that was recently mothballed.

I am intrigued with doing things with some of these ships. One interesting thing about the nuke carriers is the desalinization plants on them.

Apparently it does require a good deal of power to operate desalinization plants, and some say that using the ships to provide clean water is impractical because you would have to staff the reactors.

I really don't know.

I personally am aware that I myself have way too many dreams and grandiose plans for my means.

The Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth have been or are in the process of being turned into hotels, so the concept is not all that outlandish, it just hasn't been applied in the case of carriers.

Power companies operate Nuclear Power generating plants for profit so I am not sure why a nuke powered carrier couldn't be docked somewhere, instead of being mothballed.

Hey wow, turn 'em into hotels, you could build swiming pools on the lifts and have uppy downy swiming pools wooohoo
Del